Latest aging headlines

Nearly three-fourths of Floridians are concerned about the costs of nursing-home care, with the worries highest among women. according to results of the annual USF-Nielsen Sunshine State Survey released Tuesday by the University of South Florida. The survey found that 37 percent of the people surveyed...

French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette once said, “Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” Pets provide meaningful social support for owners, and they can be especially beneficial for seniors. Ample research shows pet ownership delivers physical and mental health benefits for...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Matthew A. Davis, University of Michigan and Kenneth Langa, University of Michigan (THE CONVERSATION) The U.S. has seen substantial improvements in life expectancy over the past century,...

Local health headlines

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott’s staff might have broken the law when it deleted voicemails left by workers at a Hollywood nursing home where 11 residents died after Hurricane Irma, a South Florida lawmaker says. Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, who represents the district that includes the Rehabilitation...

Without power and stuck in the middle of a hurricane, Stacy Alcenard-Macer's 1-year-old son had no way to take the medicine he needed to breathe clearly — until the Delray Beach Fire Department came to his rescue. Alcenard-Macer lost power the morning of Sept. 10 as the outer bands of Hurricane...

The panic started about 2:30 a.m. with a frantic worker’s shouts on the second floor of the Hollywood nursing home: “Code Blue, Code Blue, Two East, Two East!” “[She] was screaming so loud and then she ran,” said Charlotte Adams, who was trying to keep her semi-paralyzed mother hydrated with water,...

National health headlines

State insurance officials say premiums sold on the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange and outside the exchange will rise on average of 45 percent this year, however that doesn't mean consumers will end up spending more money. In fact, they could end up seeing slight decreases. Florida's Office...

A state health actuary says health plan premiums are set to rise by an average of nearly 60 percent in Virginia's 2018 individual marketplace. The Richmond Times-Dispatch quotes David Shea as telling lawmakers on Monday that the increase is "unquestionably the highest we've ever seen." Shea said...

Immigrants' rights advocates filed a complaint Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over what they say is the inhumane treatment of pregnant women being held in detention, including one who had a miscarriage. The complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups...